Copyright 2015, Agathon Associates, Consultants in Textiles and Trade, Blog by David Trumbull

Thursday, January 19, 2017

Pass That Peace Pipe

"If you're feeling mad as a wet hen,
Mad as you can possibly get, then
Pass that peace pipe, bury that tomahawk…"--Roger Edens, Hugh Martin, and Ralph Blane, "Pass That Peace Pipe," from the 1947 motion picture "Good News"

Mary and I are in Washington, D.C., for the inauguration of Donald J. Trump as 45th President of the United States on Friday, January 20th. [Trivia QUIZ: Mr. Trump will be the 44th man to service as President, why is he numbered as the 45th?]

The theme of the 58th Presidential Inauguration, "Uniquely American," recognizes the symbolic importance of the event. We may consider it routine, but the inaugural ceremony remains a uniquely American expression of our constitutional system. The peaceful transition between presidential administrations signals that we are united as a people behind an enduring republic.

Sadly, America is not likely, in the near future, to be united behind the man who will hold her highest office for the next four (maybe eight) years. My hope is that President Trump succeeds in fixing our economy so that it works for all Americans. If he fails, voters can hand control of Congress over to the Democrats in 2018, thus limiting his ability to act domestically. In 2020 they can turn him out of office. If he succeeds in his first term he likely will be re-elected by a larger margin and sweep more Republicans into Congress too.

No matter what happens nationally, Massachusetts, of course, will continue to be a deeply Blue State. The dysfunctionality of the Massachusetts Republican Party will ensure that! The latest news, reported in the Boston Herald, is that Bay State Trump supporters say the State GOP appears to be failing to get them inauguration tickets. I have had enough experience of the Mass GOP to know better than to waste my time trying to get tickets through that [dis]organization. My Congressman, Stephen Lynch, came through for us with tickets. Senator Ed Markey also offered Mary tickets, which she released to the next person on the waiting list.

Representative Lynch's office also gave me United States Capitol Historical Society calendar with the theme of Celebrating the Era of Good Feelings," 1817-1825.

The Era of Good Feelings marked a period in the history that reflected a sense of national purpose and a desire for unity among Americans following the War of 1812. The era saw the end, for a time, to bitter partisan disputes. President James Monroe strove to downplay partisan affiliation in making his nominations, with the ultimate goal of national unity and eliminating parties altogether from national politics.

The phrase Era of Good Feelings was coined by Benjamin Russell, in the Boston newspaper, Columbian Centinel, on July 12, 1817, following Monroe's visit to Boston, Massachusetts, as part of his good-will tour of America.

Best wishes for success to President Trump. May he make America GREAT and UNITED again!

[ANSWER to QUIZ: Grover Cleveland is counted twice as our 22nd and 24th President because he was elected for two nonconsecutive terms.]

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